The present invention relates to a swim mask, and more particularly to a swim mask with a floating air-suction device so that a wearer, either an inexperienced or experienced swimmer or diver, is allowed to breathe normally during swimming, diving or any other water activities.
Four-legged animals, such as dogs and cats, are inherent in swimming and would not be easily drowned. One of the reasons for this fact is these animals have a long neck that can always extend from the surface of water and protects the animals from choking with water. On the other hand, human beings have a short neck that is not long enough to always extend a swimmer""s head from the water surface. For a person who does not swim, the risk of being drowned is therefore very high.
Even for a good swimmer, it is necessary to ventilate from time to time during swimming. That is, there are times the swimmer has to extend his or her head or at least the nose from the water for ventilation. It is impossible for the swimmer to easily stay below the water for a prolonged time. For fearing of drowning or choking with water, it is more difficult for people to learn swimming quickly and successfully.
There are also many accidents happened at dangerous riverside or beach, particularly in the summer, that are attributable to the lack of useful auxiliary equipment for safe swimming or diving in addition to the lack of law-abiding concept and necessary warm-up before swimming.
To swim within a safe waters may reduce but not eliminate the probability of tragedies of drowning. Even a good swimmer might be suddenly seized with a cramp and immediately in danger.
The currently available snorkel with mouthpiece is helpful in skin diving for extended time, but it is not suitable for general swimming. And such snorkel with mouthpiece has following disadvantages:
1. When a swimmer or diver holds the mouthpiece of the snorkel in the mouth, he or she has to breathe with mouth that is anyway not a normal breathing manner and would have adverse influence on our health.
2. The snorkel has limited length and is therefore not useful when diving deeply under water.
3. Breathing with mouth prevents the diver or swimmer from fully relaxing in the water. The user""s mouth would soon become tired with holding the mouthpiece for a prolonged time.
4. The snorkel has not any means to prevent water from entering into it. Water tends to enter into the snorkel when diving or swimming at surgy sea.
5. The snorkel with mouthpiece does not help when an accident happens, such as a suddenly cramped leg or an exhausted swimmer or diver.
It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a swim mask with floating air-suction device to eliminate possible dangers during swimming or diving.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a swim mask with floating air-suction device, comprise a mask being provided at two lateral sides with at least one set of straps for firmly attaching said mask to a wearer""s head to tightly cover the wearer""s eyes and nose in a watertight manner to prevent external water from entering into said mask; and a floating air-suction device connected to said mask at a predetermined position, said floating air-suction device including an air hose having a first end connected to said mask and a second end associated with a float; said float normally floating said air hose so that an end opening of said second end of said air hose is always located above a surface of water; whereby when the wearer inhales simply in a normal breathing manner, external fresh air only is sucked via said second end of said air hose to supply to said mask.
The swim mask with floating air-suction device further comprises a one-way exhaust valve fixedly mounted on said mask at a predetermined position, said one-way exhaust valve including a first valve body defining a first hollow valve chamber therein, a first end of said first valve chamber being provided with a plurality of first through holes for communicating said first valve chamber with a space outside said mask, and a second end of said first valve chamber being provided with a plurality of second through holes for communicating said first valve chamber with a space inside said mask; and a first valve diaphragm being supported on a central valve stem provided in said first hollow valve chamber, such that said first valve diaphragm normally tightly covers and closes an inner side of said second through holes to prevent external water from entering into said mask via said second through holes; whereby when the wearer exhales via nose, air exhaled by the wearer pushes and bends an outer periphery of said first valve diaphragm toward said first end of said first valve chamber to open said second through holes, allowing exhaled air to pass said second through holes, said first hollow valve chamber, and said first through holes and into the space outside said mask.
The swim mask with floating air-suction device further comprises a one-way sniffing valve fixedly mounted on said mask at a predetermined position and connected to said first end of said air hose, said one-way sniffing valve including a second valve body defining a second hollow valve chamber therein, a first end of said second valve chamber being provided with a plurality of third through holes for communicating said second valve chamber with a space inside said mask, and a second end of said second valve chamber being provided with a plurality of fourth through holes for communicating said second valve chamber with said air hose; and a second valve diaphragm being supported on a central valve stem provided in said second hollow valve chamber, such that said second valve diaphragm normally tightly covers and closes an inner side of said fourth through holes to prevent air exhaled by the wearer from entering into said air hose via said fourth through holes; whereby when the wearer inhales via nose, external fresh air is continuously sucked into said air hose to push and bend an outer periphery of said second valve diaphragm toward said first end of said second valve chamber via said fourth through holes, allowing sucked air to enter into said second valve chamber via said fourth through holes and pass said third through holes into said mask, and when there is any water entering into and accumulated in said mask, the wearer may easily drain said accumulated water simply by breathing continuously in a normal manner.
The mask is provided at two lateral sides with an upper and a lower set of straps for firmly attaching said mask to the wearer""s head.
Each set of straps includes a first and a second strap separately extended from two lateral sides of said mask, said first strap including a first elastic band portion, a first end of which being fixedly connected to one side of said mask and a second end of which being connected to, for example, a hook tape of a Magic Tape, and said second strap including a second elastic band portion, a first end of which being fixedly connected to another side of said mask opposite to said first strap and a second end of which being connected to, for example, a loop tape of a Magic Tape; whereby by firmly attaching said hook tape to said loop tape, said first strap and said second strap are connected to each other to tightly cover said mask on the wearer""s face.
The air hose of said floating air-suction device is made of a soft and flexible material and has wedge-shaped projections provided on an outer periphery of said second end of said air hose with a thick side of said projections closer to an end opening of said second end; and wherein said float is provided at a bottom portion with an open-bottomed socket into which said second end of said air hose is extended, at one side of said float with at least one air inlet to communicate said socket with external air, and at two diametrically opposite points on a peripheral wall of said socket with compressing means that abut against the outer periphery of said second end of said air hose near a thin side of said wedge-shaped projections; whereby when said air hose is pulled downward relative to said float, said compressing means operatively press from two opposite directions against said wedge-shaped projections to finally seal said end opening of said second end of said air hose and prevent external water from entering into said air hose via said second end.
The compressing means are two rollers rotatably mounted at two diametrically opposite points on the periphery wall of said socket of said float to press against and roll over said wedge-shaped projections and finally seal said end opening of said second end of said air hose when said air hose is pulled downward relative to said float.